Review: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

I've been dying to read this book ever since I read Kerry's review a month or so ago.  And not just because the cover is awesome.  (I'm happy to report that my brain hasn't turned to total mush over the past few years).

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake tells of a young girl named Rose who has the gift of being able to taste how a person is feeling in the food they cook or bake.  This novel is the perfect blend of reality and the supernatural, and an absolute joy to read.  The first 50 pages or so are sufficiently fluffy for a summer read, and drew me in with their their sensual, gritty, (often) succulent, descriptions of food and the act of eating.  I was also very much attracted by the whole LA vibe.  Even in the mid-summer heat, the idea of a year-round warm climate is very attractive to me, and I'm rarely known to reject an opportunity to live vicariously.  

Yet there is a grim undertone to Lemon Cake that is impossible to ignore, even in the passages that glitter like the warm, seemingly endless Southern California sun.  The thing that struck me about this book, is that about 90% of the food described by Rose tastes either sad or empty.  That which is prepared by her mother, for instance, is nearly always filled with negative emotions of some sort.   Foods prepared by the lunch ladies in the school cafeteria, or employees at the local bakery are described as tired, rushed, sad, and angry. Eventually, Rose is even able to taste the over-worked lettuce pickers in a box of mixed greens.  To avoid all the suffering, she spends much of her childhood and adolescence seeking out heavily processed foods from freezers or vending machines that have experienced minimal human contact. 

 I know that Bender is trying to make a point here about the state of the world's food crisis and/or the human condition in a capitalist society and/or something I haven't even considered.  Yet all that becomes somehow insignificant in the face of what evolves into an extremely memorable - one may even say haunting - series of revelations and plot developments.  (I don't want to give too much away because I want you all to go out and read this book.)  Somehow, however, the subtle not-quite-message that runs through Lemon Cake is what makes it such a compelling read.  

Maybe eventually I'll figure it out, but I doubt it.  Right now, I'm happy just to bask in the afterglow that results from reading a truly great novel.

Who do you write like?

Have you all discovered the new website that tells you who you write like?  Apparently I write like James Joyce.  I'm not sure how true this is, but I'll take it as a compliment.

Can't...stop...

Over the past few weeks, I have officially turned into the girl who spent every waking moment of her free time reading Stieg Larsson's novels.  Today I picked up the third and final installment, pictured above.  The problem is, I have about half an hour of free time on the average weeknight. It's to the point where I fervently resent the fact that I have to go to bed at night because it cuts into reading time.  Life is not fair.

27

Today is my birthday.  The seventh day of the seventh month. And I turned twenty-seven.  It's not quite my champagne birthday, but close enough.  Especially since I barely even knew what champagne was at age seven.

I share a birthday with Ringo Starr.  Ringo turned seventy today, an age which (obviously) also contains a seven.  Some say that sevens are lucky, and that the more sevens one can involve in his/her life, the luckier he or she will be.  I think that Ringo is certainly evidence of that.  Not that he isn't talented, but let's be realistic, people.

All this bodes well for me, I think.  At least it will if I convince myself it does, right?

Almost Cottage

Steve and I took an extra long weekend this Canada Day, and headed out to the Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville.  Yes, that's the place where they held the G8 summit.  It was nice to have that cottage-like experience I yearn for (now in vain) every summer, and we returned well rested and thoroughly relaxed.

The place is absolutely gorgeous, but my GOD were there EVER a lot of small children there.  Sigh, oh well...what can you do?

Look!  They have the exact same chairs there as they have at Sandals in Jamaica! 

And, of course, the requisite Muskoka chairs.

And canoes - which we didn't take out, but they still look pretty.

Much Trivial Pursuit was played.  

I can't believe it's Sunday already.  Four days off seemed like an eternity Wednesday evening, but really it's nothing.  Sigh.  I promise to start posting more this week.  I know I've been terrible lately, but things are gradually improving.

Beautiful Summer Weekend

My departure from Toronto this weekend was planned long before I considered what the G20 summit would likely bring to the city, but it seems as though it all worked out for the best anyway.  What a shame that the voices of so many peaceful protesters drawing attention to perfectly legitimate causes often become so overshadowed by the antics of a few idiots.

Several celebrations were had this weekend in Kingston, including a belated Father's Day dinner for my dad - the greatest man in the world!  (Along with my dear husband, of course!).  Unfortunately I managed to forget my camera, and could not take a picture of the beautiful meringue that topped our celebratory pie.  It's the first meringue that has ever turned out well for me, so it was truly a momentous occasion.

On weekends such as this, where I return to my favourite place in the world and have the pleasure of seeing so many people I love, I am reminded of what I am thankful for in my life - which brings me to a little confession I'd to make:  So often anymore I am guilty of seeing the past three years of my life as a complete waste of time - a series of bad choices, so to speak.  I become so depressed and wrapped up in the negative that I turn into a bitter, self-centred wife; a whiny, weepy daughter; and an inattentive - if not entirely absent - friend.  For that I apologize.  Several things have happened lately that have forced me to mature a little.  (For really, how are we ever to mature if not by force?)  

In light of all this, I have decided that each night before I go to sleep I will mentally acknowledge all the things I'm thankful for.  If I were a religious person, I guess this would be called a prayer.  For me, I think it will be a key step on my way to becoming a content, well-adjusted human being.  I know you're not supposed to talk about this kind of thing on blogs, which are generally much more happy and upbeat.  Thus I will leave you with five little things I am grateful for right now:

1)  My sweet husband, who is currently out fixing our car.  (Yes, you read that right.  Steve is fixing the car.  Oh how I love him!)

2)  The loyal golden retriever at my feet.

3)  The mourning dove calling from the tree outside, reminding me, for some reason, of the cottage.

4)  The fact that The Body Shop brought back their Oceanus scent.

5)  The fact that, despite seemingly overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I do have choices, and consequently the power to turn my life around.

Photo from Design Crush.

Lately

I concede that I haven't been the best blogger in the world lately.  You may have been wondering what I've been up to.  (Then again maybe not, as I'm sure like most people you're far too busy in your own life to worry about the absence of a half-hearted blogger.)

Truth be told, adjusting to "working life" in Toronto has not been an easy transition.  As students, pretty much everything we needed/wanted was in walking distance of our flat.  Now, I spend a total of an hour and a half per day commuting to and from work.  The drive itself should only take about 20 minutes, but of course I'm on the road at the peak of rush hour both ways.  Likewise, it takes Steve a little under an hour each way.  It's exhausting, to say the least.  And I feel like the worst dog owner in the world, which kills me.

With only about four hours of free time per day (well, 2.5-3 when you subtract the time it takes to make and eat dinner and walk the dog) it's amazing I have time to do anything else at all.  On nights when I don't force myself to go to the gym, I usually curl up in front of the TV, or with a good book.  For a while it was more often the former, but as I get used to my new job I'm left with a bit more brainpower at the end of the day, and hence more energy to commit to a book. 

The other day, I finished re-reading Metamorphosis.  It had been a long time since I'd read this quirky yet wonderful work of literature, and wow, do I ever have a different perspective on it now.  Having watched the movie The Squid and the Whale about a hundred times in the past three years, I was inclined to pay much more attention to the novella's last paragraph, which one could argue changes everything.  Having a first hand knowledge of "the daily grind" also makes the first part, where the chief clerk comes to check on Gregor at home, much funnier and more relatable. 

If you have never read Metamorphosis, I highly recommend that you seek it out as soon as possible.

I was thrilled to see that Emily Giffin was out with a new book, despite the fact that I sometimes pretend not to like her work.  Truth be told, there is NOTHING that makes my day like having a truly addictive book on the go, even if it's not "great literature."  The thing about Giffin is she is obviously a highly intelligent woman who has found a perfect niche as a writer, and how can one but respect that?  This is one of her best books so far; if  you like this kind of thing, you will love Heart of the Matter.

Steve and I have also spent quite a lot of time preparing delicious, vegan food.  I feel so much better in every way when I fuel up on this good stuff.  That's not to say that I don't indulge in some decidedly non-vegan food every now and then. (Like, for instance, a smooth, cool dish of to-die for gelato on a hot summer evening from here).

But this homemade pad thai sure hits the spot as well...it's fast becoming one of our absolute favourite meals.

A little while ago we also made our favourite vegan lasagna.  It's even better with Daiya cheese, which we were never able to get in Kingston.  See?  Living in Toronto does have its advantages after all!!

So, yeah, that in a nut shell is what I've been up to lately.  Some days have been better than others, but all in all I feel like things are on the right track.  I'm planning some pretty big changes for the future, and am working on enhancing my sense of equanimity in order to face upcoming challenges more effectively...